1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a UniDirectional (UD) prepreg and a processing method thereof
2. Description of the Related Art
A composite material is configured using two or more basic materials, and has a characteristic that cannot be obtained by one of the basic materials alone. Generally, a composite material is formed using at least one preimpregnated material (hereinafter, “prepreg”). A prepreg denotes a product that is in the form of a sheet in which a reinforced fiber is impregnated with a coupling material. A composite material having a characteristic desired by a designer can be manufactured using the prepreg. Types of reinforced fiber of a prepreg include, for example, carbon fiber, glass fiber, aramid fiber, etc. Types of coupling material of a prepreg may include, for example, an epoxy resin, a polyester resin, a thermoplastic resin, etc. A prepreg forms various product groups depending on the type of fiber used, the arrangement and configuration of the fiber, and the type of coupling material used.
A composite material that is produced using a prepreg can improve various characteristics such as, for example, strength, stiffness, corrosion resistance, fatigue, ware resistance, impact resistance, weight reduction, etc., compared to other materials.
A UD prepreg includes fibers aligned in one direction. Due to its resulting appearance, the UD prepreg is widely used as a composite material for forming an electronic device. A composite material, used in a housing of the electronic device, is manufactured in the form of a board plank by stacking and then attaching a plurality of basic materials under a UD prepreg. This composite material board is formed into a housing via forming methods such as, for example, compression forming using a mold, pressure vessel forming using an autoclave, etc. The housing exposes the UD prepreg. The UD prepreg of the composite material board may be post-processed before the housing is formed for appearance purposes. This post-process includes, for example, dyeing, deposition, etc.
However, it is undesirable to post-process a UD prepreg before forming a composite material. The fiber arrangement of the UD prepreg of the composite material is maintained during post-processing due to a fixing force between basic materials. However, when the UD prepreg is preferentially post-processed before the composite material is formed, the fiber arrangement of the UD prepreg is scattered due to shrinkage and expansion. Consequently, the post-process for the UD prepreg is only possible under limited circumstances.